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เนื้อหาย่อ : .When my publishers suggested that there was a book in the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, I hesitated. My knowledge of that federal service was like that of millions of others, rather limited. However, I determined to explore the possibilities before making a decision. Scarcely had I begun my search for suitable material when o! I discovered a vista of science, adventure, indomitable plu and resourcefulness of men who through sheer love of their job faced without a murmur hardship and danger on land, at sea and in the air. In their day-to-day work I found them prying secrets from the ocean foor or keeping nightly vigils on frozen mountain peaks, awaiting the blinking of a survey light half a hundred miles away, or clocking the devastating seismic sea waves sent out for thousands of miles by subsea earthquakes, or checking from the I the courses to be fown by airplane pilots, or studying tides nd currents and the mysterious forces that affect the magnetic compass. In these and their other activities I found a gold mine of factual material as stirring as adventure fction. I am deeply indebted to Rear Admiral Robert F. A. Studds, Director U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey for the wholehearted co-operation of the Bureau. My thanks also to Rear Admiral Robert W. Knox for his valuable assistance. I am particularly grateful to Commander Frank G. Johnson for his patience and helpfulness while I plied him with endless questions during our many pleasant meetings. And so, to all those in the Bureau who helped make my as- signment one of the most enjoyable of my career, a hearty Thank You!